Kastélyosdombó is a regional centre of Hungarian Interchurch Aid, serving as an important model programme for social and regional development as well as a venue for training activities. The regeneration of the former granary and its surroundings in the centre of the village, based on a concept design developed pro bono by ZDA – Zoboki Design & Architecture and Pagony Landscape Architecture, represents an important step towards strengthening the local community and expanding the settlement’s central role within the region.

For many years, the linear village lacked a distinctive communal centre, and the pavement in front of the local shop served as the primary setting for everyday encounters. The renewal of the long-abandoned yet exceptionally located storage building is therefore conceived not merely as the reconstruction of an individual structure, but as the creation of a new village centre. The restored granary could accommodate professional forums for local farmers, a producers’ market, and a variety of community and family events.

Barn-style accommodation could be created on the upper floor, providing a much-needed lodging option linked to the region’s growing cycle tourism. In the longer term, the revenue generated by this programme could contribute to the financial sustainability of regional development initiatives. The architectural intervention would therefore strengthen local operations in both economic and community terms.

In subsequent phases, a year-round event hall accommodating approximately 150 people, together with the necessary service facilities, could be constructed beside the granary. The separate buildings would be connected by a continuous pergola system, providing sheltered circulation while defining the new village square and organising the bus shelter, marketplace and covered terraces designed for community events.